WELCOME TO THE MAKER MOVEMENT. A revolution is under way. But it’s not about tearing down the old guard. It’s about building, it’s about creating, it’s about breathing life into groundbreaking new ideas. It’s called the Maker Movement, and it’s changing the world.

Mark Hatch has been at the forefront of the Maker Movement since it began. A cofounder of TechShop–the first, largest, and most popular makerspace–Hatch has seen it all. Average people pay a small fee for access to advanced tools–everything from laser cutters and milling machines to 3D printers and AutoCAD software. All they have to bring is their creativity and some positive energy. Prototypes of new products that would have cost $100,000 in the past have been made in his shop for $1,000.

The Maker Movement is where all the next great inventions and innovations are happening– and you can play a part in it.

“The Maker Movement Manifesto” takes you deep into the movement. Hatch describes the remarkable technologies and tools now accessible to you and shares stories of how ordinary people have devised extraordinary products, giving rise to successful new business ventures. He explains how economic upheavals are paving the way for individuals to create, innovate, make a fortune–and even drive positive societal change–with nothing more than their own creativity and some hard work.

It’s all occurring right now, all around the world–and possibly in your own neighborhood.

The creative spirit lives inside every human being. We are all makers. Whether you’re a banker, lawyer, teacher, tradesman, or politician, you can play an important role in the Maker society.

I just finished the book a few hours ago and I had to write this review instantly even tho it still takes more than a month until it comes out. One reason for this was because I got so excited reading the book and I still am and I had to transfer this into the review before it wears off.

When I download books off of Netgalley I often flip through the first few pages when I get them to see what it is about and if it looks interesting. I also did that with the Makers Movement Manifesto and two things happened. First, I stumbled upon some real life stories about people at the place who Mark Hatch Co-founded and I am a sucker for these kind of stories. Second, I read the name of the place he founded and instantly went on google to look it up. There I found videos about it which I watched. Even one hour long ones. I watched all of them and I thought: “OMG I want to be there, I want to try that, where is the nearest TechShop”. This thought kept coming back while reading the book about every 2 pages at least.

I finished the book in two days which is quick for me (it also was a fairly short book tho) and read it whenever I could. I even thought of writing an email to TechShop begging them to open a shop in my city when I did some more research on google and found out that there is a hackerspace called HappyLab (I love that name btw) in my town which isn’t a TechShop but the closest I can get and I am SO EXCITED. I will definitely check it out as soon as I can.

This book came around just at the right moment because I was thinking about doing something creative for months now. I was even trying some stuff but hit limitations in term of space, material or tools a lot. Also I want to try something new, especially the “gateway drug” as – I believe – Hatch called the laser cutter. This really sounds like a drug to me and one of the few I really want to try (one of my other drugs is chocolate).

To sum this bowl of excitement up, I want to add that this is may be not everyone’s cup of tea but I think a lot of people do want to “make” something with their own hands… may it be “only” by pressing the start button an a laser cutter…

Cover: I like the cover. It is simple but dragged my attention when I browsed through NetGalley.

So this is a REALLY quick read. It’s only 67 pages which made me finish it in about an hour, maybe less. It felt like less. The Story was predictable but still well told.

I just would have loved to get to know the characters better and everything. It was a little too short for my taste. But I totally understand that I am not really the target audience so if I was an early reader this would be a nice start. It probably would make me want to read more in dept books like this.

Another thing I figured was, that this book can be considered Dystopian but it still has a lot of truth to the world as it is now. You would just have to switch “Pale” with “(Illegal) Immigrant” or “Ex-Prisoner” and it would still make as much sense as it does now. Made me think about the topic, especially as bullying at school is also a trending thing right now. Sadly.

So if you have an hour to kill you can check out this Novella or one of the other 16 or so books Chris Wooding wrote so far. That’s a lot isn’t it? Given that he is only 32…that’s only 2 years older than me. Gosh! I need to start do important things in my life!

Cover: This Cover reminded me SO MUCH of Starters by Lissa Price and as I loved her book I was probably not very objective about this one at first. Maybe this was also the reason why I was a little bit disappointed with this book which isn’t really fair. You shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover – and especially not by some other books cover!

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

If you are looking for a light quick summer read then this is for you! But be warned! You might – just as I did – desperately want to go on holiday (preferably on a boat) after you’ve read this. Don’t blame me for it in the end, I told you :).

What I like about the book that it is two stories in one. So one story is Clem going on a sailing trip over the summer with her family and the second story is the past year at school and how all the mess she got into started. So you slowly get to know Clem and her story over time.

This isn’t a book with a lot of stuff going on or twists or thrilling moments but it doesn’t have to. It’s a quiet little story more about feelings and relationships than about a big plot. I for myself liked it.

Also it wasn’t like all happiness and everything more about how to get it back. This made me think a little and also left a cosy feeling within me when I finished reading it.

Cover: I adore this cover. It is simple but I liked it the second I saw it and made me want to read the book. And it didn’t let me down.

The Journeys of John and Julia begin.
The Twenty-Two are watching.
Reality is about to change.

It all starts when Julia’s parents totally mess with her summer. First Julia’s dad takes off to start a whole new family. Then Julia’s mom yanks Julia from cheerleader camp to spend the summer with her grandmother in the land of no signal, no mall, no best friend Kellie. Julia’s only hope for human contact is geeky John Freeman, who is six months younger than she and about a million years behind her idea of cool.

If only Julia knew that her mom plans to dump her at Grandma’s not just for the summer, but for a whole year. If only Julia knew that a collective of wondrous beings called The Twenty- Two are watching over her and trying to make contact. If only Julia knew that they could tell Julia every thought she never knew she had and bend her reality in any way they choose. And that she’d be with John Freeman when it happened. He’d think that was way cool.

And that is just the beginning. For this seemingly mismatched pair have cracked open the door to another reality. And their enemy-to-be, the beyond evil Niem Vidalgo Oten, is about to enter the picture.

To be honest I’m not totally sure what to say about this book. I finished it pretty quickly and it was nice to read but…

I think I missed the connection to the main Characters. I couldn’t really connect and feel with them. In one way they just didn’t bother me enough? Also some events or dialogues just confused me. A few times I was like “what? why did that happen now?” or “Why did he do that?”

I mean I am aware that there is supposed to be something mystical or magical or however you want to call it in the book but sometimes I just didn’t see the reasons or connections. Probably I would have needed some more explanation and in depth description or the book was just not for me.

However I still finished it which means that it’s not totally lame and boring 🙂 otherwise I would have stopped at some point.

Cover: I am not very fond of this Cover. It’s not bad but also nothing spectacular.

A hidden attic. A classic story. A very unexpected twist. Twin twelve-year-old bookworms Ophelia and Linus Easterday discover a hidden attic that once belonged to a mad scientist. While relaxing in the attic and enjoying her latest book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ophelia dozes off, and within moments finds herself facing a fully alive and completely bewildered Quasimodo. Ophelia and Linus team up with a clever neighbor, a hippy priest, and a college custodian, learning Quasimodo’s story while searching for some way to get him back home—if he can survive long enough in the modern world.

I just finished the Book and wanted to do the Review as long as it is still “fresh” in my mind. First of all I have to say I had a bit of a hard time getting into the book. It might have to do with the language that is used in the Book. English is not my first language so a lot of words weren’t really familiar to me and it through me a little out of the Story sometimes. But I got used to it.

Funnily a lot of the words I didn’t know where explained in the book. There happens to be a Storyteller who is telling the story to us and as he is proud of his use of the English Language he likes to use “nice” words but is at the same time kind enough to explain the complicated ones. This is especially important as this is a Middle Grade Book for Ages 9-12.

It was a nice short read but still took me ages as I kept putting it down. I am not entirely sure why. Another thing I liked about the book was that you get to know a Classic at the same time. So this is the perfect start for a younger reader who doesn’t quite dare to read “the real stuff” yet but is interested about what else there is in Book World.

Cover: It’s a well made Cover which is Age Apropriate and matches the Story.

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party–her body will commit murder, if her mind can’t stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first–the very young and very old.

With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie’s neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It’s a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank’s horrible plan. . . .

I just finished this Book a few Minutes ago. Wow, this was a good one! I was kept in the story after just a few pages and after that there was not one moment I didn’t want to know what would happen next and believe me, it happened a lot! There were a lot of smaller and medium twists in it and also a few big ones. I’m not going to spoiler you, don’t worry. I hate it myself to be spoilered.

Also the Idea that was used about old people renting young peoples bodies was something fresh and new to me. Haven’t seen that before and made me really want to read it. And I am so glad it didn’t disappoint me it was even better than I thought in the beginning.

Since I read the Hunger Games I was searching for another nice Dystopian and this one was right up that Alley. Ok, it is not the Hunger Games but I still gave it 5 Chocolate Hearts which doesn’t happen very often. I definitely recommend it!

Oh, and I just realised that this – as I already guessed – is really the first book in a Series. Really looking forward to the next one!

Cover: I like the Cover design even tho it is so different to the Covers that I normally like but maybe that’s what intrigued me to request it on NetGalley. Which reminds me of wanting to thank Random House for giving me the book to review!

M.J., her partner Gilley, and their client, the wealthy, de-lish Dr. Steven Sable, are at his family’s lodge, where his grandfather allegedly jumped to his death from the roof-although Sable says it was foul play. But the patriarch’s isn’t the only ghost around. The place is lousy with souls, all with something to get off their ghoulish chests. Now M.J. will have to to quell the clamor-and listen for a voice with the answers…

Northelm Boarding School on Lake Placid has the worst bully of all-a demon by the name of Hatchet Jack. M.J. Holliday, along with her partners Gilley and the handsome Dr. Steven Sable, are ready to send him back to the portal from whence he came. The school’s summer construction, an uncooperative dean, and the very tempting Dr. Delicious are all trying to distract M.J. from her ghost hunting. But with a demonic disturbance as great as Hatchet Jack, she must focus and show no mercyto send him to detention for an eternity-in hell.

I read this first two books of the series a few weeks ago and decided to put it in one Review together because what I have to say fits for both of them. First of all, I like the Story and the Topic of this Series. Also I like the main Character M.J. Holiday and I love her sense of humour. That’s right up my Alley. It made me laugh out loud a few times (and my bf stare at me). There are more things in the books that I like. I also like M.J.’s cute gay best friend with all his problems and crushes and stuff and I ADORE her feathery little friend. If this parrot would really exist I would be the first to adopt him, even tho he can make you feel ashamed really badly.

There is just one thing I wasn’t really sure if this was a good or a bad thing. There is this romancy little sidestory but it’s never really working out.. I had a few moments while reading the books when I thought “Gosh, make out at last, dammit!” :D. Maybe I’m just to used to it that main characters always get the man/woman of her desire.

All in all I really enjoyed the Books and am looking forward to read the next ones in the Series.

Cover: The Covers look nice, and the books held what the Covers promised.